Return to the Land of Your Soul...Got to Get Back to the Land

There was a time in my life when I would have thought this tune, "Return," was fully cheese.  But now that I know better, now that I am connected to Shlomo chevre, I am so so so grateful that I know this tune.  And so grateful that Stango and I are working on the opportunity to get back to the land in the not-so-distant future!




"Well I came upon a child of God, he was walking along the road...got to get back to the land set my soul free."  -CSN





Remember Blues For Challah is around the corner!!!  Sign up now and join the Whole Phamily there.

Classic Tune All Jazzed Up

Growing up, I never heard the name Shlomo Carlebach.  Unknowingly, I knew one of his classic tunes "Veha'er Eineinu."  I think I heard it at a Chassidic Song Festival that my parents took me to in the late '70s.

Stango, my musical husband, raged this tune tonight on the piano.   Not to be missed!

Here is Shlomo singing his tune, just for comparison sake.  My preference is Stango's funkier one.

 

Tibetan Prayer Flags: Shalom, Janis Joplin.

You've seen 'em, but never before with Jewish prayers.  Tibetan prayer flags are those colorful fabric squares that usually contain traditional Buddist prayers.  A few years ago we saw a Jewish interpretation of them at our friend Jonathan and Gail's very beautiful home, and convinced them to bring one back for us on their next visit to Israel.

from www.tevelbtzedek.org     The prayer is in Hebrew and comes from Rav Natan of Nemerov

The flags are produced by Tevel B'tzedek, which is an Israel-based non-profit organization promoting social and environmental justice and founded by Rabbi Micha Odenheimer.  They do good work in Haiti and Nepal, helping impoverished people benefit from programs addressing education, health, sustainable agriculture and more.  Israelis love to backpack through Nepal after their army service, so it is a win-win.

Finally the flags are available through Tevel B'tzedek directly!

They are $15 each.

You can email tevelflags@gmail.com directly to order as well.

Tell them the Whole Phamily sent you, and please remember that I have no arrangements with any of the products I promote.  At the moment I am doin' it from the goodness of my heart, and because I have a lot of love for chevre (friends).  And I didn't mean goat cheese.

But with all of my good ideas, I do hope to monetize in the near future.

Suggestions?





Kudos to my 11th grade English teacher for playing that one for us on the sleepy Wednesday before Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanks, McWilliams.

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white

This wedding in Israel has a grooving, moving vibe.  Check out what looks like was a raging party.  The blend of the American and Israeli influence here can be heard through the music and seen through the people.

What a beautiful couple!






Mazal tov to your whole phamily!

p.s.:  I don't know the names of the artists singing, but it sounds like Aron Razel...please correct me if I am wrong.

Buxbaum the Storyteller

There are variations:  Buxbaum, Buckspan, Buchman, Buchweitz...we are only guessing that the meaning for "buch" is the word book.  Perhaps families with this surname were involved with production or selling of books.

If this is the case, then Yitzhak Buxbaum's name is very fitting.  He is a teller of sacred Jewish tales.  A master storyteller or maggid, Reb Yitzhak is a unique soul and brings the stories from the alter heim (Eastern European towns where so many of us originate from) into the 21st century.  His site is the Jewish Spirit Journal, a gateway to mysticism, spirituality and Kabbalah.

Maybe he can weave a story of the Whole Phamily and tell us exactly what we're doing here.